Oscillation of dust grains and the dust–Mach number associated with the dust–neutral collision in a plasma

Abstract

Oscillating potential and the dust–Mach number are investigated in a dusty plasma associated with the dust–neutral collision. It is shown by numerical simulation that the oscillation sensitively depends on the ion to electron density ratio, the ion to electron temperature ratio, and the dust–neutral collisional parameter. It is found that the dust–Mach number varies due to the dust charge, the ion to electron density ratio, and the dust–neutral collisional parameter. In particular, the dust–Mach number sensitively depends on the ratio of the ion density to the dust charge–number. The possibility is suggested that the dust-acoustic wave not only exists in the bulk plasma but also propagates in the sheath.